Hills West Hosts Suffolk Football Combine

With the sun shining and balls being thrown on the field at it almost felt like football season Sunday afternoon.

While the regular season is quickly approaching sooner then you expect, the off-season is in full swing as nearly 200 players took part in the second annual Suffolk County Football Coaches Association (SCFBCA) Combine.

Tested on the usual six areas of the bench press, short shuttle, vertical leap, broad jump, 40-yard dash and three-cone drill, athletes' scores were recorded, every move video taped and information dispersed through Blue Chips, a recruiting service based on Long Island.

“It’s being filmed, so a coach can go on a website and see a kid run the 40-yard dash or watch a kid bench press,” said Hans Wiederkehr, president of the SCFBCA.

After the combine testing, players broke off into two separate groups – linemen and skilled players (QB, RB, WR) – and worked on drills, which were also filmed.

“If you run a 4.5 in the 40, what good is it if you can’t catch a football?” Wiederkehr asked. “So now the coaches can see them throwing a football, catching a football. Other combines you get your number, do your thing and go home. Here there is a lot more going on.”

The results are emailed directly to each player so they have the material to send to college coaching staffs.

“This is a great opportunity for the kids on the island to get a feel for where they are,” said Sachem North head coach Dave Falco. “From a college standpoint it’s good to be able to tell a coach they participated in this combine and how they did. The main objective in this is to promote football and let the colleges know we’re serious and we have some really good athletes here.”

The top finishers from the showcase are invited to a combine the same day as the Empower Upstate-Downstate Football Classic June 6 at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse. 

“It shows the college coaches what we have and what we can do athletically,” said Sachem East's Steven Casali. “It helps. Football season is all year around. You always have to work hard.”